Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, however, has hit Hanoi’s relations with Moscow. In 2016, Vietnam became the world’s eighth-largest arms importer, largely thanks to its purchase of Russian weaponry. In fact, Vietnam alone is responsible for more than half of Russia’s total defense exports, amounting to more than US$10 billion, to the entire region in the past two decades.įrom modern fighter jets to kilo-class submarines, Russia has been the primary supplier of the Vietnamese armed forces. Meanwhile, Vietnam has adopted a “porcupine strategy” by rapidly upgrading its defensive capabilities via a wide network of suppliers, most prominently Russia. In short, Hanoi has sought to “enmesh China in a web of bilateral ties in order to make China’s behavior more predictable.” Trong and Xi in a warm ideological embrace. To enhance its strategic autonomy, Vietnam has adopted a “multi-vector” foreign policy, thus actively pursuing robust relations with multiple powers simultaneously.Īs Vietnam expert Carlyle Thayer explains, Hanoi has relied on a “series of agreements that stress comprehensive cooperation through party-to-party, state-to-state and military-to-military ties” to maintain, at the very least, a state of cold peace with China. The country’s constitution commits the ruling party to a so-called “Three Nos” national security doctrine, namely (i) no military alliance with any foreign power (ii) no foreign military bases on its soil and (iii) no siding with one superpower against the other.
Its traumatic experience during the Cold War, when Hanoi was squeezed by competing superpowers, convinced the Southeast Asian country to avoid reliance on external forces in favor of optimal strategic autonomy. Traditionally, Vietnam has followed a policy of dynamic neutrality vis-à-vis major powers. By all indications, concerns over regime stability and self-preservation are increasingly shaping Hanoi’s strategic engagement with Beijing. For the first time in almost a decade, the joint statement highlighted shared concerns over new and evolving challenges to their communist political systems.Īmid growing uncertainties over its strategic relations with a heavily-sanctioned Russia and the increasingly ideological turn in America’s foreign policy, Vietnam is quietly doubling down on its charm offensive vis-à-vis its fellow communist regime and historical adversary to the north.
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